---
title: Expert Tips for Marine Survey Preparation
description: As part of the process of taking ownership of your boat, you'll need to ensure it's in good condition and you are well acquainted with any items that could need immediate attention. For this, a marine survey and sea trial is required, performed by a certified marine surveyor.
---

[Dock Lines](https://docklines.ensignyachts.com.au)

# [Expert Tips for Marine Survey Preparation](https://docklines.ensignyachts.com.au/expert-tips-for-marine-survey-preparation)

 Written by [Ensign Yachts](https://docklines.ensignyachts.com.au/author/ensign-yachts) | Nov 3, 2022, 4:57:44 AM

Want to take the stress out of buying your new boat? A crew member of our experienced team, Raman Flawn has shared his tips on preparing for a marine survey. 

 

 

As part of the process of taking ownership of your boat, you'll need to ensure it's in good condition and are well acquainted with any items that could need immediate attention. For this, a marine survey and sea trial is required, performed by a certified marine surveyor.

 

What's involved in getting a survey and sea trial? 

 

1. **Locating and engaging a qualified marine surveyor**
2. **Locating and booking a vessel haul out**
3. **Ensuring the boat owners representative is present for the survey**
4. **Setting aside enough time for a complete survey**
5. **Bring appropriate clothing and PPE**

 

There are different types of surveys and some buyers are caught out by not understanding the difference. There's the full vessel and mechanical survey that includes the boat, its fittings, electrical components, structural soundness, and of course the engines. Then there's the non-mechanical survey, which will cover all the structural components, fittings, and general soundness, but will not cover the engines. If you're embarking on a pre-purchase survey, our recommendation is to specify a full survey including engines from your surveyor. Some surveyors will not be able to conduct the complete survey themselves but will be able to engage a qualified mechanic to assist. 

 

Next, you will need to book a lift for haul-out so the hull, any skin fittings, props, anodes, condition of any antifoul applications, and bearings can be checked. Normally, this is the purchaser's responsibility to book and pay for the haul out, though your broker will be able to assist with the haul-out booking. They have knowledge of the nearest haul-out facilities that are capable of handling the size and weight of the vessel to be inspected. Pre-purchase haul outs are normally the first item of the day for the shipyard, so expect to have an early start to your morning.

 

Always make sure the haul-out operators are aware of the types of drive train used on the vessel, and if possible, where any lift places are marked. Your broker will know this in advance and will discuss this with the lift operator immediately prior to fitting the lift harness to the vessel. This is critical as substantial damage can be caused by not fitting haul-out harnesses correctly.

 

During the haul-out, your surveyor will tap the hull listening for changes in the sounds that may indicate osmosis in the hull. They will also check for unwanted movement in props or bearings as well as the condition of sacrificial anodes. Most haul out facilities are co-located with shipyards, so it's also a good opportunity to replace any worn anodes if they available at the time from the shipyard. You may need permission from the owner to do this, but if you are definitely proceeding with the purchase, it will save you some cost down the line.

 

The order of proceedings is to perform the hull inspection first, followed by the sea trial. There's a reason for this. Performing a sea trial with a barnacle encrusted hull or damage props serves no valid purpose, so the option to have the hull cleaned prior to the sea trial means the sea trial can deliver meaningful results on the boat's performance.

 

 

 

***Before hull clean***

 

 

***After hull clean***​

 If the hull is heavily encrusted, cleaning and blasting is unavoidable since the surveyor cannot perform their task completely without clear access to the items they need to check. Furthermore, since some antifoul may be removed during the hull cleaning and blasting process, so the shipyard will always ask permission to clean and water blast the hull prior to the inspection. Your broker will have obtained permission from the boat's owner and will be authorised to allow this to proceed. 

The sea trial part of the survey will give some additional insight into the overall condition of the engines, along with the inspection of the engines by the mechanic. The surveyor will have information about how the particular make and model of vessel is supposed to perform, based on the manufacturers 'as new' specifications. With a clean hull, you'll head out for the sea trial and measure top speed, engine RPM, fuel usage at certain speeds, noting any vibrations to give a summary of the power train among other things. Obviously, this is unachievable without a clean hull.

Some mechanical surveyors may also offer to take oil samples and have these analysed to provide an even more detailed view of the state of the engines. Oil samples are analysed to take measurements of the types and prevalence of various metals in the oil. By analysing the metals with the type of engine, a determination of normal wear and tear versus abnormal can be made, along with where within the engine any abnormal wear is occurring. 

In summary, the most important part of embarking on a marine survey is to ensure you are comfortable with your surveyor. They are your consultant in the pre-purchase process. As said previously, all the surveyors I've met during the surveys I've participated in have been great and have provided valuable information to their clients, not only about the particular vessel they are inspecting but also about the make and model in general. They will have a wealth of knowledge about how to maintain the vessel and can also provide some good opinions on improvements as well.

Once you've received your survey report, you'll be well informed about your intended purchase. You'll also have a valuable document as a reference for your boat, along with the required documentation to obtain marine insurance for the boat.

[View full post](https://docklines.ensignyachts.com.au/expert-tips-for-marine-survey-preparation)

```json
{
  "@context" : "http://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "Ensign Yachts"
  },
  "dateModified" : "2022-11-03T04:57:44.952Z",
  "datePublished" : "2022-11-03T04:57:44Z",
  "headline" : "Expert Tips for Marine Survey Preparation",
  "image" : {
    "@type" : "ImageObject",
    "height" : 960,
    "url" : "https://5997416.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/5997416/thumbnail_IMG_2562%20%281%29_16x9.png",
    "width" : 1707
  },
  "mainEntityOfPage" : "https://docklines.ensignyachts.com.au/expert-tips-for-marine-survey-preparation",
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "height" : 60,
      "url" : "/hs/hsstatic/content_shared_assets/static-1.4092/img/default-amp-logo.png",
      "width" : 60
    },
    "name" : "Dock Lines"
  }
}
```